Eastern CX League Round 11 - West Suffolk Cross

Sat 07 Nov 2015

Eastern CX League Round 11 - West Suffolk Cross

A topsy-turvy day of CX action with a multi-terrain course containing about a seasons worth of slip-slidy off-camber work.

Round eleven of the Eastern CX League was held in the grounds of a school in Bury St Edmunds. The unseasonable dry and mild weather had broken in the week with several days of heavy rain including on the day of the race itself. 

John McDowall and Bryan Holland rode the Vets 40-49 race. John got just about his best ever CX start into the first bend and tricky off-camber section. A couple of competitive laps but he then suffered a series of ‘course inspections’ that slowed process although he bounced surprisingly well. A chain drop and tangling took some legendary swearing and pulling to un-hook but cost plenty of valuable time. Bryan had got away decently, cleverly electing to run a tight early bend. A couple of ‘offs’ early doors and later in the race was almost inevitable, but like John he resiliently bounced back up and get on with the race in hand.

Respectable results for our guys, with tyre pressure set probably that crucial two or three PSI too high for a course deteriorating by the minute. Bryan came home in 18th, John in 28th with 77 starters and six DNFs.

Matt Crees took to the start line in the Seniors race. By now condition on course where approaching ‘Legendary Belgian’ level. Sadly, two laps into the race a heavy fall by a rider required an ambulance on the course and left the organisers, facing a medical emergency, no choice but to halt the race and abandon the last event of the day. Happily the rider involved was released from hospital later in the evening and has reported that he is doing well. A difficult end to an intriguing day of racing but all handled most competently by the organising club.